News
Mar 17, 2022
Inhalable aerogel triggers immunity to COVID-19 in mice, may block transmission
An inhalable "aerogel" loaded with DNA that encodes for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein successfully induces an immune response against COVID-19 in the lungs of mice, according to new research conducted at Penn State.
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Mar 16, 2022
Huck Students Receive Alumni Awards
Two Huck IGDP students have been recognized as part of the 2021-22 Graduate School Alumni Association faculty and student awards in the Life & Health Sciences section.
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Mar 14, 2022
New art installation reflects Penn State research on energy and environment
Visitors to the Energy and the Environment Laboratory (EEL) on Penn State’s University Park campus will now find themselves greeted by a trio of large eels. A new metal wall sculpture featuring three individually themed eels has been permanently installed in the lobby of the EEL building.
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Mar 10, 2022
How grasses like wheat can grow in the cold
A new, large-scale analysis of the relationships among members of the largest subfamily of grasses, which includes wheat and barley, reveals gene-duplication events that contributed to the adaptation of the plants to cooler temperatures.
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Mar 07, 2022
Studying diseases with better delivery of gene-editing tools
Using gene-editing tools with stem cells can be challenging because their delivery into cells can be inefficient, time-consuming, or expensive. A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers has developed a method that improves the lifespan and efficiency of CRISPR gene-editing tools after delivery.
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Mar 03, 2022
Researchers publish how-to guide for monitoring and analyzing brain activity
Penn State researchers have developed a set of tools and methods to better monitor and analyze sleep-related signals and fidgeting in rodent brain studies. Considered the bedrock of biomedical research, rodent studies often provide the first advanced understanding of brain activity and are the foundation on which human studies are eventually built.
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Mar 02, 2022
Students in Department of Animal Science receive accolades for research
There are many opportunities to participate in undergraduate- and graduate-level research in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences. Graduate students Emily Van Syoc and Sophia Kenney are among those reaping the numerous benefits.
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Mar 01, 2022
A new molecular family tree of grasses
The evolutionary relationships among grasses — including important crop plants like wheat, rice, corn, and sugarcane — have been clarified in a new molecular study of the grass family tree. Having a clear picture of the relationships among the grasses can help understanding of how important crop traits like seed size or disease resistance evolves and eventually could inform manipulation of these traits to increase crop yields.
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Feb 25, 2022
Repurposing FDA-approved drugs may help combat COVID-19
Several FDA-approved drugs — including for type 2 diabetes, hepatitis C and HIV — significantly reduce the ability of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 to replicate in human cells, according to new research led by scientists at Penn State. Specifically, the team found that these drugs inhibit certain viral enzymes, called proteases, that are essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication in infected human cells.
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Feb 25, 2022
Microscopy director propagates new discoveries and new scientists
The directors of the core facilities at Penn State’s Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences work behind the scenes on many successful research projects; often they are accomplished scientific researchers themselves. In many cases, these experts — and their facilities — bring insight, diverse experience, and decades of expertise to Penn State.
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